The quest to find the next representant for Sweden at the Eurovision Song contest in Copenhagen continued tonight with the second heat of Melodifestivalen in the city of Linköping. This time the qualifying acts to the final were Sanna Nielsen and Panetoz.
The first heat in Malmö saw YOHIO and Ellen Bendiktson advance to the final. Tonight two more finalists were to be chosen in the second heat in Linköping while two more songs would get another chance to qualify in the second chance.
The songs (You can read more about the participants in our Get to know article.
1. J.E.M. – Love Trigger (Music & Lyrics: Thomas G:son , Peter Boström, Julimar "J-Son" Santos)
First out tonight are the trio J.E.M. who are performing a modern dance song. With its rap-parts up to the refrain it is slightly reminiscent of something that could have been sung by the Black Eyed Peas. There are three large steel boxes on stage which Jeremie, Elli and Meg sings in front of. The boxes shifts into different colours and in a later stage of the song the boxes are tipped over so the singers can stand on them. The singers have black-white clothes with Elli and Jeremie wearing black leather jackets and Meg in black leather trousers. It’s a nice looking number and it looks like it could do really well when the results are announced.
2. The Refreshments – Hallelujah (Music & Lyrics: Joakim Arnell)
It is not an uncommon sight to see a rockabilly band performing in Melodifestivalen and this year is no exception. The band The Refreshements delivers a song with roots in the american 50’s and 60’s rock music. There is an american 50’s car on stage with the three backingsingers standing in the backseat of the car. The LED-screens shows a road, fields and clouds. The band members wears colourful so called nudie suits. It is a song that is likely to be heard on the dance band venues around Sweden this summer but is it popular enough to leave a big impression on the viewers?
3. Manda – Glow (Music & Lyrics: Joy Deb, Linnea Deb, Melanie Wehbe, Charlie Mason)
Manda performs a midtempo pop song with a distinct element of string arrangement playing throughout the song. Manda is wearing a big wedding skirt (think Krista Siegfrids, Finland 2013) with a black top. Behind her are three female violinists in huge white skirts standing on tall cones that make them rise high above the stagefloor (think Aliona Moon, Moldova 2013). The song might be a bit too anonymous in this field to really do well.
4. Panetoz – Efter solsken (Music & Lyrics: Johan Hirvi, Mats Lie Skåre, Nebeyu Baheru, Njol Badjie, Pa Modou Badjie)
The five members in the hip hop group Panetoz sings about that after sunshine comes rain. They are all wearing black costumes and dances, jumps and moves along on the stage as they sing. They walk out and finish the number on the platform out in the crowd. Rap songs are fairly uncommon in Melodifestivalen but in 2008 the song Upp och hoppa with Frida made a surprise advancement to the final in 2008. Can Panetoz, who had a mega hit in the summer of 2013, reapeat that?
5. Pink Pistols – I Am Somebody (Music & Lyrics: Joakim Törnqvist, Nestor Geli, Per Ivar Hed, Susie Päivärinta, Tord Bäckström)
Pink Pistols performs an elctro pop song that is more about show rather than good vocals. The message behind the song is about equality for everybody. The four members, who are wearing black outfits with elements of metal in them, starts the song sitting in four throne-looking chairs before they get up to walk and dance through the number. The general feeling is that while the song is quite danceable it also is qoing a have a hard time to survive the first stage of the voting.
6. Sanna Nielsen – Undo (Music & Lyrics: Fredrik Kempe, David Kreuger, Hamed "K-One" Pirouzpanah)
The MF-veteran Sanna Nielsen has a big ballad that is slightly reminding of the same style as Miley Cyrus song Wrecking ball. Sanna is wearing a dark dress and is standing alone on a dark stage. She is standing among glitterings stones hanging down from the roof. As the song progresses lines with the stones goes up and instead we find Sanna standing in the middle of twelve blue spotlights that will create an effectful light show during the rest of the number. Sanna is a good singer and this is the favourite to beat tonight according to most people.
7. Little Great Things – Set Yourself Free (Music & Lyrics: Charlie Grönvall, Cristoffer Wernqvist, Felix Grönvall, Adam Dahlström)
It’s time for some rock music as the band Little Great Things enters the stage. The boys in the band are dressed in black and grey t-shirts and jackets. Green and blue spot light sweeps over the stage during the number and there is also green laser beams used to create a nice show. An energic performance and the boys can only hope now that their audience is going to pick up the phone an vote for them.
8. Martin Stenmarck – När änglarna går hem (Music & Lyrics: Andreas Öhrn, Alexander Bard, Martin Stenmarck, Peter Boström)
Martin Stenmark, the man who represented Sweden at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, is last out tonight. This pop song is far from his previous MF and ESC-entry Las Vegas. The song starts with Martin, who wears a hat, black leather jacket and red checkered pants, singing in low key but his voice becomes more powerful as the song progresses and the refrain is a really effective one. Behind Martin there is a big wall with warm pulsing lights that create a very impressive light show. Is the whole package impressive enough to give yet another place in the final for Martin?
The show:
After a quick look back at last Saturday the show begins with the hosts Anders Jansson and Nour El Refai coming out from two gigantic cakes on the stage and together with dancers they perform the Eurovision entry Congratulations to celebate the victories of ABBA and Herreys 40 respectively 30 years ago. They also take a chance to ask the viewers for forgivness for last weeks crusade about burning all the flutes (as usual in a tongue in cheek way).
After the eight performances there’s a quick runthrough of the songs for
them viewers. Then follows a pre-recored sketch acted by the hosts visiting a hotel in Linköping that Björn and Benny of ABBA are said to have met at for the first time in the 60’s. The hosts starts to dance to a mix of past winners of Melodifestivalen and soon we are back on the stage again with the hosts and the dancing appearing in a show- and dance number to the Eurovision winner Waterloo. This is followed by a short sketch featuring Clara Henry (who in charge of the Melodifestivalen web site).
As part of the final interval act in wait for the last final voting result we have Sean Banan together with 1984 Eurovision winners Herreys in a show number.
The result:
Five songs went through from the first round of voting:
Song 1: Love Trigger by J.E.M.
Song 2: Hallelujah by The Refreshments
Song 4: Efter solsken by Panetoz
Song 6: Undo by Sanna Nielsen
Song 8: När änglarna går hem by Martin Stenmarck
After the second round of voting ended the first finalist to be announced
was Sanna Nielsen. The second finalist was Panetoz.
J.E.M. and Martin Stenmarck were 3rd and 4th and goes to Andra chansen (the second chance heat).
The rest of the results:
5. Hallelujah by The Refreshments
6. Set Yourself Free by Little Great Things
7. I Am Somebody by Pink Pistols
8. Glow by Manda
(Note: who came 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th is not revealed until after the final in March).
